what causes headaches
Last updated September 6, 2026.
Most headaches are primary headaches, meaning the pain itself is the condition, and the two most common types are tension-type headache and migraine. Tension-type headache usually feels like steady pressure or a tight band on both sides of the head, and it is often linked to stress, jaw clenching, neck strain, or long hours at a screen. Migraine tends to be one-sided and throbbing, and it can come with nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to light and sound. Common triggers include missed sleep, dehydration, skipped meals, alcohol, caffeine changes, hormonal shifts, and weather changes. Taking pain relievers more than about two or three days a week can lead to medication overuse headache, where treatment starts driving the pain. A smaller group of headaches are secondary, caused by something else such as a sinus infection, a viral illness, a concussion, or a medication side effect.
What to do
- Track a pattern: Log the time, sleep, meals, and triggers for two weeks so you and your clinician can see what repeats.
- Cover the basics first: Drink water, eat on schedule, and keep a steady sleep and wake time, since dehydration and short sleep are two of the easiest triggers to fix.
- Limit pain relievers: Keep over-the-counter pain medicine to no more than two or three days a week to avoid rebound headaches.
- Watch your caffeine: Keep your daily amount steady, because both extra caffeine and sudden withdrawal can set off a headache.
- Reset your posture: Take short breaks from screens, drop your shoulders, and stretch your neck if the pain sits in your temples or the back of your head.
- Know the red flags: Seek care right away for the worst headache of your life, fever with a stiff neck, weakness, confusion, vision changes, or any headache after a head injury.
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